


Fairydust and Morning Dew

by chuchutrain



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Faeries - Freeform, Haechan too but tell me something new, Hyuck was raised to be wicked, M/M, Magic, Mark is really gay, Mark just has a really pure heart, Or Donghyuck is a faerie and Mark is the human that messes everything up, also lots of kisses, because I love kisses, but there'll be a happy end, fae, fast love but then they develop deeper feelings, or something like that, soft fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-08-27 16:34:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16705996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chuchutrain/pseuds/chuchutrain
Summary: Mark is new, awkward and wears glasses. When he first meets Haechan he thinks he sees an angel - but is quick to find out that the mischievous boy is far from being angelic.





	1. Chapter One

The boy with the light brown hair fixed his round glasses as he stared down at his new timetable in confusion. There were numbers and letters on it but he couldn't quite decipher their meaning. As he had entered his new school this morning he was given the piece of paper with the words: «Welcome, your first class starts at 9, don't be late.»

He quietly cursed under his breath and sighed, finally giving up on trying to make sense of the paper in his hands, instead, he looked around for someone who could help him. There were many students walking around, some giving him curious stares, most just flat out ignoring him. He was a bit hesitant to ask someone and was mostly hoping that he looked lost enough for someone to take pity in him, but that didn't seem to happen. He sighed deeply and straightened his back, starting to walk in a random direction, trying to find a helping hand.

«Umm... excuse me?» By now he had asked various students but only got very vague answers, twice even an unfriendly rejection. He was now standing in front of a boy who looked about the same age as him, with jet black hair and his eyes fixated on his phone. The boy in question looked up with a curious stare and briefly nodded at Mark, acknowledging his existence.

«I'm new and I'm looking for my class, can you help me?» Mark asked, almost expecting an unhelpful reply. But the guy started smiling and showed the cutest eye smile Mark had ever seen.

«Sure! Do you have a timetable? If not, you need to go and get it from Miss Kim, the school's secretary,» the boy explained, putting his phone in the back pocket of his dark blue jeans.

«Uh, yeah, I have my timetable,» Mark awkwardly said, scratching the back of his head. «But I don't get how you have to read it, so...» He trailed off at the end and looked desperately at the other boy.

«No problem, show me,» the black-haired boy reassured him, taking a look at the paper Mark was given. «Oh, you have Maths at nine, that's the same class as Jaeminnie is in!» the boy exclaimed, his whole face lighting up. He looked up to Mark, noticing his lost look. «Jaemin is my best friend, I'm currently waiting for him, but that dumbass is late,» he scoffed. «Anyways, you can just wait with me and then walk together with Jaemin, if that's okay with you. He should be here any second.»

«Yeah, that sounds good,» Mark mumbled, a bit overthrown by the energetic boy.

«Great! I'm Jeno by the way, Lee Jeno. And what's your name?» the boy suddenly introduced himself, offering Mark a hand.

«I'm Mark. Also Lee,» he introduced himself, inwardly facepalming right afterwards because how could he be so stupid? He was making this whole conversation even more awkward than it already was. Luckily, Jeno didn't seem to mind at all and just happily continued to talk.

«Oh nice! And you're new? Where are you from?» he asked curiously, his eyes practically sparkling.

«I'm from overseas,» Mark said vaguely, smiling back.

Jeno wanted to say something back but was interrupted when a boy jumped on his back, his arms thrown around Jeno's neck, making the black-haired stumble backwards. The first thing Mark noticed about the was the cherry blossom pink of his hair, then his absolutely dazzling smile. 

«What the– Jaeminnie! What the fuck?» Jeno screeched with actual panic in his eyes, ready to drop his best friend any second now. The pink-haired only laughed and hoisted himself up Jeno's back in a more comfortable position.

«I don't feel like walking, carry me, my prince,» he declared fiercely and pointed down the hallway, completely ignoring Mark.

«I was talking to someone you honk,» Jeno said with an angry tone in his voice, but the smile on his face proved that he didn't mean it. Only now Jaemin seemed to notice Mark's presence, giving him a curious glance.

«Him? Who's that? I've never seen him around before,» he asked Jeno and lifted a hand for a brief wave. «Hi I'm Jaemin, Jeno's bestie.»

Mark slowly lifted his hand to return the greeting. «Hi, I'm Mark. I'm new.»

«He has Maths with you,» Jeno informed him, starting to walk away with Mark following them. «And if we're not there in like,» he shortly threw a look at the watch on his wrist, «five minutes, I'll be late for Psychology.»

«Oh neat. I mean the Maths thingy. Not that I would want you being late,» Jaemin excitedly chimed and patted Jeno's hair while he giggled. The two of them honestly didn't look like just best friends, more like as if they had been dating for several years. But Mark didn't question them, he just shook his head and suppressed a smile. The two could be whatever they wanted to be, and honestly, who was he to judge? He knew them for barely five minutes.

The boys walked through the slowly but surely emptying hallway – well Mark and Jeno walked. Jaemin let himself be carried the whole way to the classroom. When they arrived at said room Jeno let Jaemin down from his back, wishing them a good day while he started jogging light-footed down the hallway to his Psychology class. Jaemin blew him an exaggerated hand-kiss and laughed loudly as Jeno pretended to stumble while clutching his heart dramatically. Mark already liked the two boys, they were outgoing and seemed very open. Since he knew no one else at the moment, he hoped that he could stick with them. But he didn't want to expect too much, just because they talked to him didn't mean that they would actually become friends.

«Uh... Mark?» Jaemin waved a hand in front of his face, interrupting his trail of thoughts. Blinking in surprise Mark noticed the pink-haired looking at him with eyes shining in amusement. «You spaced out for a good minute. Are you coming or should I leave you with the wall alone?»

Mark lowered felt his face heat up and quickly lowered his head, stuttering an apology which made Jaemin start to giggle light-heartedly at the awkward boy. He grabbed Mark's hand and pulled him into the classroom.

«Hey, it's okay,» he laughed and walked over to a few empty seats, dragging Mark behind him. «You're really cute when you're embarrassed, did you know that?» he said as he fell into one of the chairs, sending a flirty wink at the other. To say that Mark was confused was an understatement, hadn't Jaemin just been flirting with Jeno? What was he doing? Slightly weirded out he took a seat next to Jaemin, taking out his stuff while he tried to ignore that he hadn't answered Jaemin's question. Did the other even expect an answer? He wouldn't know what to say anyway and with that conclusion, he found it the best to just stay quiet before he embarrassed himself even more.

Jaemin observed his new seatmate with curiosity. He had just been joking around before, you could call it a bad habit, but Jaemin liked to flirt with other people. He loved to make compliments and how he could affect someone with just one of his infamous smiles. But right now, as he looked at Mark, he had to admit that the other was fairly good-looking without really trying. He smiled softly and nudged Mark at the arm, trying to get his attention.

«Hey, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I should probably stop to randomly flirt with people.» Jaemin gave Mark an apologetic glance. «To make it up to you, do you want to eat with us for lunch? I would even treat you to a dessert,» he offered, looking up expectantly. «Not a cheesecake tho, they're extremely expensive and don't even taste good.» He scrunched his nose and pursed his lips in disgust.

«Alright?» Mark still didn't quite know what he should think of Jaemin's personality quirks, but he wouldn't say no to an invitation for lunch. Especially if there was a free dessert involved. And looking behind his flirty remarks he was – together with Jeno – the only one who had talked properly with him today. «That's really nice of you,» he replied, «I'd love to join you for lunch.» He smiled, unsure of what was expected of him.

«Great! I'm sure Jeno won't mind,» the other exclaimed in joy, his face brightening instantly. He leaned back in his seat and smiled contently to himself, declaring their conversation as finished.

Just then, someone new entered the room and caught the attention of Mark. The boy in the entrance halted to let his gaze wander over the seats, searching for an empty one to sit on. He had long legs and a rather slim figure, with a tanned face framed by soft-looking maroon coloured locks. What captivated Mark the most was his stern look, the way his eyes almost seemed to glow, how they seemed to notice everything. His eyes emitted calm, but behind them seethed emotions contained on the inside. The boy was standing in the room as if he owned the whole school, observing his property like a king. 

It took a while until Mark noticed that they had locked gaze, he had been too mesmerized by the sudden appearance of this surreal being. His eyes widened in shock, but he found himself unable to tear his gaze away, staring back without blinking. The boy slightly crooked his neck, his cold facial mask wavering for a second. His lips curled in a slight smirk as he broke eye contact and he turned away to walk to one of the empty seats on the other side of the classroom. He moved like a dancer, his steps resembling the movement of a river.

Mark hadn't noticed that he had been holding in his breath, releasing it as he was finally able to look away from this boy. There was something about him that wouldn't let Mark go. He needed to know who that was, he just needed to now. But why? Mark didn't understand what it was that made him so fascinated, but he tried not to worry about it too much. He had learned that from time to time it was better to just let things go. Sometimes it was better to just accept something than to stress about it. 

«Hey Jaemin,» he started and turned around to look properly at him. «Who was that guy that just came in?»

Jaemin lifted his head. «I don't know, I haven't paid attention,» he replied, shrugging his shoulders, not really interested in what was going on around him.

«The guy that now sits back there.» Mark pointed up the rows to the back of the classroom.

Jaemin's gaze immediately darkened the moment he sees who Mark is pointing at. «That? Why do you want to know that?» 

Taken aback by Jaemin's reaction Mark crouched down in his seat. «Oh... he, he just looked at me?»

«That's Haechan. He's weird,» Jaemin scoffed and frowned at Mark. «As in the bad kind of weird. He barely talks to anyone and if he does, he acts as if he's better than all of us. He looks down on anyone, even the teachers. He's just plain arrogant. I don't understand him and he makes me not wanting to understand why he does what he's doing.» With that, he slouched back into his seat, head thrown back and eyes closed.

Slowly nodding to himself, Mark didn't say anything else. He didn't know what to think, so he shrugged it off. He should rather focus on his class that was about to start than this boy whom he didn't even know. He sighed deeply and dropped his head on the table, already feeling the need to go back home.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to the Narnia soundtrack while editing this, and now I really want to rewatch Narnia
> 
> Thank you to everyone who is reading this, I'm really sorry for any error in the story, English isn't my first language and I'm trying to get better. ^-^

Mark desperately needed a map. This was the fourth time he got lost today and it was starting to annoy him. This school was just way too big for his liking, with too many corridors that looked all the same. Couldn't they at least paint the walls in a different colour for each section or something like that? He would also be glad about a simple sign that told him which floor he currently was on, but not even that was provided. He missed his old school, where everything was small and overlookable and he could just walk in one direction and would arrive somewhere. Here, in his new school, he ended up wandering through the endless corridors of the school, no one around who he could ask since the next period had long begun.

He took a turn at the next corner and almost screamed in frustration when he was met with yet another staircase that looked exactly the same as the last one he had encountered. He angrily kicked the wall and silently cursed afterwards because the wall was a lot harder than it looked like. He sighed heavily and leaned against the faintly blue painted stone, proceeding to slide down the most dramatic way he managed to pull out of his mind. Once his bottom hit the cold tiles on the floor, he stayed unmoving, waiting for someone to come and help him, well knowing that he would never be able to find the way back by himself.

He let his head drop back, not expecting the wall to be this close though and hitting himself in the process. He groaned loudly, today was really not his day. «Oh fuck me sideways, can I just go home please,» he grumbled and pursed his lips in a pout. If this day was continuing like this it might just be better to asleep right here and there. Sounded like quite the solid plan if you asked Mark.

He was pulled out of his string of thoughts by the sound of someone clearing loudly their throat. His head snapped around, seeing the beautiful boy from this morning standing just a few meters away, staring at him with raised eyebrows and a slightly crooked head.

«Uh, are you okay?» the boy Mark remembered to be called Heachan asked, though there was no real concern or interest to be found in his voice.

Mark couldn't bring himself to answer. He just stared at the boy in awe. Close up he was even more beautiful than from afar. His skin seemed to glow even in the dimmed light of the dusty hallway and his hair was falling over his eyes gracefully. His deep brown eyes drew Mark in like a light would do with a moth, it was impossible to look away. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was just staring at the other and had completely ignored his question. He gasped in shock and hurriedly stood up, brushing some invisible dirt off his trousers.

«I, uhm, I kinda got lost?» he tried to save the situation and smiled awkwardly.

«Bad luck for you, I guess,» Haechan answered with a shrug, turning away in disinterest.

«Hey!» Mark blurted out, slightly offended by the other's behaviour.

Halting in his steps the redhead looked back over his shoulder in a questioning and almost annoyed manner.

«Don't you want to help me?» Mark proposed with a confused undertone.

«To be quite honest with you, no, I don't,» Haechan bluntly responded, turning his head back and was just about to walk away.

«Well life's not always how we want it to be, you could still help me because it's a nice thing to do,» Mark huffed and dropped back to the ground, his arms crossed in front of his chest in protest. «Wouldn't hurt you to be nice once in a while, you know. Heard it brings you good karma.»

Haechan stumbled for a second, his shoulders shaking, then a bubbly sound filled the empty hallway. «You're quite the funny guy,» he laughed wholeheartedly and threw Mark a wide grin. «Go these stairs down and turn to your right, then walk down the hallway till the end.» And before Mark could reply something the boy had disappeared behind the corner, leaving him puzzled to as how someone like Heachan could have a laugh that could effortlessly rival the sun. He eventually snapped out of it and got up to follow the directions the other had given him, hoping to find back to more familiar surroundings.

 

«Mark? Are you not eating with us?»

Mark sighed, clearly frustrated. «I wish I could, but I've been literally wandering around this school the last three hours and I somehow still can't find back. I have no idea where I am and this part is completely abandoned!» He was sitting on a rusty bench, tired from all the walking. Apparently that Haechan guy had thought it was a funny idea to mess with him and sent him even further into the labyrinth of the school. Just when Mark had decided that he would give up and wait until someone would walk by coincidentally, he had received a call from Jaemin. They had exchanged numbers during the Math class and now Mark was really glad they had done that. Jaemin might be able to help him find the way back.

But Jaemin just let out a roar of laughter. «You are lost?» he asked between snorts and Mark could hear how he slapped something, either being Jeno or a table. More likely Jeno though.

«Yes, you dipshit, now help me get to you, you promised me a dessert,» Mark huffed, getting more annoyed with every second.

«Sorry buddy,» Jaemin giggled. «Where exactly are you? Is there anything around you that could give me a clue? Cause what you just described could be like, every place in our school.»

«Well it looks like nobody has cleaned here in forever, and the walls are this ugly yellow,» Mark described his environments, crunching his nose as his eyes landed on another detail. «Oh, and there is a cracked window.»

Jaemin was silent for a second, Jeno in the background asking what Mark had said. «Mark, you're in the old wing. It's abandoned and it technically shouldn't be possible for students to go there,» he eventually said, sounding a lot more serious. «How the hell did you end up there?»

Mark scoffed loudly. «It was that Haechan guy, he gave me wrong directions that led me there.»

«Haechan?» Jaemin asked, alarmed. «Why would he even talk to you?»

Mark shrugged his shoulders, before realising that Jaemin couldn't see him. «He stumbled upon me when I was looking for the way to my classes. And apparently, he thinks he's so funny and sent me here instead of back to my class.» Mark clenched his teeth, he had changed his mind about Haechan. He didn't want anything to do with that guy.

«So he skipped classes again,» Jaemin sighed. «But anyways, you should turn to your right, follow the way all the way until you see a green emergency exit sign. Take the emergency exit, it's broken so you don't have to worry about triggering any alarms. Me and Jeno are coming to pick you up.» With that, he hung up, not giving Mark the chance to respond. Somehow this type of situation was recently happening a tad bit too often for his liking.

«Whale then,» Mark mumbled to himself, turning to his right in hope that Jaemin wouldn't let him down as Haechan did before.

 

Mark sunk down on his knees, arms risen to the blue sky above him, ignoring the stinging pain shooting up his tighs from when he hit the concrete. «Thank you Jaemin!» he fake sobbed as the addressed boy smacked the back of his head.

«You're such a weird guy,» Jaemin said, shaking his head with a wide grin. «I like it.»

Jeno just laughed, helping Mark up and even dusted his pants for him, earning a yelp from the brown-haired boy when he slapped his ass in the process. «Aww, don't be shy,» Jeno grinned, throwing an arm over Mark's shoulders as they started to walk into the direction of the cafeteria. «But you still have to tell us how exactly you ended up here, it's really almost impossible to get access to that part of the school,» he continued, curiously glancing up at Mark. «I mean, there are some who tried it, but barely anyone made it in.»

«Plus they say it's haunted,» Jaemin threw in and nodded furiously to emphasise his statement. «Apparently there's the ghost of a little girl in a white dress trapped in there, guiding careless students into the depths of the building to suck out their souls and–»

«Shut up you idiot,» Jeno snorted and punched his best friend's arm.

«Oh but I'm your idiot,» Jaemin smirked and leaned over to give Jeno a quick kiss on the cheek, making the other chuckle lightly as he ruffled Jaemin's hair.

Mark watched the two silently and slightly confused. They were best friends, right? Nothing more? He rolled his eyes and just hoped they wouldn't suddenly start to make out in front of him, exclaiming "no homo" afterwards.

«No but seriously, how did you end up there?» Seems like the two haven't completely forgotten the third boy with them, both now turning their heads to face Mark.

«Like I said,» Mark sighed, «I followed the directions that Haechan had given me and ended up there. I have no idea how exactly, I didn't really pay much attention to my surroundings until it was too late.» He guiltily lowered his head and played with his fingers.

«Haechan should just leave you alone,» Jaemin huffed angrily, puffing his cheeks cutely and pouted.

«Aww,» Jeno cooed out loud, forgetting about Mark for a second, captivated by the cuteness that was his best friend. «But yes, I agree,» he rushed to say, «he needs to learn how to mind his own business since he clearly doesn't know how to do that.»

They continued to bicker about Haechan, not realising that Mark wasn't following their conversation anymore. He wasn't particularly interested in the guy and just hoped he wouldn't have to interact with him once again. But just like he had said earlier on this very day; life is not always how we want it to be.


	3. Chapter three

«Oh, hi Lost Boy!»

Mark intuitively ducked his head and closed his eyes in annoyance. Maybe if he would ignore the other hard enough he wouldn't talk to him and just leave him alone.

«Hey, I'm talking to you!»

Mark tried pretending to be asleep, thinking of a way to escape the confrontation when he felt something touch his cheek. His eyes shot open and in the blink of a moment he had jerked backwards, almost losing his balance as he met Haechan's startled gaze, his hand outstretched to where Mark had been resting just seconds before. His heart beating hard and fast in his chest, Mark tried to regain his calm. He hadn't expected Haechan to just touch him, and perhaps it had surprised him a bit more than it should have. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, shooting the redhead a glare and letting his head drop once again. He really didn't want to talk to Haechan at that moment. For one, it was still considerably early in the morning, two, he was still mad at the other for the prank he had pulled on him the day before.

It didn't take long until Mark couldn't resist the temptation anymore and peeked from under his lashes to see if his unwanted company was still there. He almost cursed out loud when he caught a glimpse of the ripped jeans the other was wearing, unfazed waiting in front of his desk. He unwillingly opened his eyes fully, finding deep brown eyes observing him almost curiously, like a lion cub watches a butterfly dance in front of its nose for the first time. Haechan slightly tilted his head to the right, holding eye contact while an amused smile twisted the corners of his lips upwards.

«What do you want?» Mark eventually gave in, although visibly discontent. He stared annoyed at the grinning Haechan, waiting for the other to explain himself.

«Oh, I'm just glad the ghost didn't get you,» Haechan smugly replied, swiftly grabbing a chair and seating himself in front of Mark's desk. «Would have been a shame to lose you this fast.»

Mark rolled his eyes. «Haha, you're so funny, why don't you apply at the circus? They'd surely take a clown like you,» he scoffed. He had no nerve left to deal with Haechan's stupid jokes, why couldn't the guy just leave him be?

«Nice try, but I'm too much high quality for that,» Haechan shot back, still grinning from one ear to the other. It was quite a charming smile, it filled the room with a glowing light, that much Mark had to admit. «I mean, just look at me! Doesn't that practically scream "Louvre"?»

Almost choking on how hard he had to snort, Mark couldn't reply at first. Haechan really was something else. «The Louvre?» Mark eventually managed to say, trying to hold back his laughter. «They wouldn't even take you if you applied as a janitor there!»

Haechan dramatically clutched his chest, mimicking a hurt expression. «Oh come on! You're just jealous that it's me who was blessed with the eternal beauty.»

Staying unimpressed Mark gestured to the front where the teacher had just entered. «You might want to turn around, or you'll end up in detention,» he pointed out, relieved that he would have some peace now. Haechan did as suggested, but not without shooting Mark a wink. Mark frowned, what was it with people winking at him? Was that a thing here? Shrugging it off the brown haired boy directed his attention towards the teacher, determined to be at least somewhat a good student.

Haechan really did leave him alone during the lesson. It surprised Mark to find out that the redhead was a diligent student, listening well to what the teacher said and he was actually actively participating in class. He wouldn't have thought that Haechan was that kind of a person, but it seemed that he had misjudged the other. At least in this aspect. Because as soon as class was over, Haechan seated himself comfortably on Mark's desk, watching him putting his stuff away. Irritated, Mark lifted his head and tried to escape as fast as he could, only to be held back by Haechan's hand firmly grasped around his wrist.

«What?» Mark sighed, getting more and more annoyed by the redhead's actions.

«Eat lunch with me,» Haechan demanded, a smirk on his face. «I know that you're new, so you probably don't know that many people yet, and–»

Before Haechan could say anything else Mark interrupted him, yanking his wrist out of the other's hold. «No thanks, I already have company.» He started to walk away, but just as he had reached the door he turned around once again. «And even if I hadn't, I certainly wouldn't spend my lunch break with someone like you.»

Even after he had left, Haechan was sitting on the desk for a while, stunned by these last fierce words. He wasn't angry, not at all. He was, for the most part, surprised, as he hadn't expected such a prompt rejection. How come his charm hadn't had any impact on the other? But there was something else, a slight tugging at his heart, a tiny pin pressed into the flesh, that didn't really hurt but was unpleasant at least. He really did had wanted the other to eat with him, and he was mentally hitting himself for these feelings of disappointment, he really shouldn't take the brown haired's words this much to heart. The boy huffed and jumped off, leaving the room as he was the last student remaining there.

In the meantime, Mark was searching for Jeno and Jaemin who had promised to wait for him in front of the cafeteria. After looking for them for about five minutes he came to the conclusion that they weren't here yet, which was rather weird because the two had both a free period before lunch. Just when Mark wanted to enter the buzzing room full of students the two stumbled around a corner, both looking visibly flustered and with slightly messy hair, and Mark was pretty sure that Jaemin had a hickey on his neck, but he didn't want to know the details so he just overlooked these obvious signs to as what had happened.

«Sorry, we kinda forgot the time,» Jeno tried to explain, making Mark almost snort out loud. Yeah, that he could have guessed by himself.

«Don't worry about it, let's go before all the tables are occupied,» he shrugged it off, pretending not to see the not-so-subtle looks the two were giving each other. They entered, and it followed the most awkward lunch break Mark had ever experienced, with Jeno and Jaemin eating quietly, not daring to say a single word. Mark sighed at their behaviour, but there wasn't much he could do about it, or at least he didn't really want to do anything. He was the absolute last person one should ask when it came to relationships. But hey, at least he didn't have to eat lunch with Haechan, right?

Speak of the devil, or not, in this case, Mark couldn't see the redhead anywhere in the packed room. Not that he was looking for him, it was simply an occurrence that happened to catch his attention. He furrowed his brows, looking around one more time, but the eye-catching red of the boy's hair really was not to be found in the room.

«What are you looking for?» Jaemin spoke up, noticing Mark spacing out.

«Huh?» Confused, Mark turned his head back, the two boys now both looking at him. «Oh, nothing.» He broke into a small smile, he really didn't want to tell them he was looking for Haechan as he knew that they both disliked the redhead. They didn't seem to believe him, but let it slide. The uncomfortable silence from before fell upon them once again, continuing just to the end of the break when they parted again, promising to meet up the next day as they all had different classes in the afternoon.

Walking to his last class for the day, Mark's thoughts trailed off, and not looking where he was walking he suddenly felt himself being stopped by two arms placed on his shoulders.

«Whoa, look where you're going,» an annoyed voice complained, making Mark look up. His eyes widened as he recognized the person in front of him, it was one of the members of the student council, a student in the year above him if he remembered correctly. Lee Tae...yeong? He was quite famous for his handsome face, which, Mark had to admit, was outstanding indeed. Sharp features, dark eyes that could stare you down mercilessly and hair dyed a fiery red. Combined with the fact that he was actually a kindhearted person who had always a helping hand to offer, it was no wonder that he was one of the most popular students in the whole school, up to the point where he was almost idolized by younger girls and boys.

«Sorry,» he mumbled a quick apology, stepping out of the other's way.

«Don't worry,» the older sighed. «Just pay some attention to your surroundings when you're walking through the corridors.» Just before proceeding to walk away, the older halted and turned his head around one more time. «You're Lee Mark, right? The new student from overseas,» he asked with genuine curiosity.

«Uh, yeah, that's me,» Mark replied, taken aback by the sudden question.

«Ah, I knew it! Is everything going okay for you so far?» The older shot him a blinding smile, his features visibly softening. «If you ever need something, feel free to ask, I'm always ready to try to help you.» It was a generous offer, and Mark didn't really know how to react as he hadn't expected something like that.

«Thanks... I guess,» he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. «If I ever need something, I'll get back to you.» He really wished for Taeyeong to turn around and walk away, not because he didn't like the other, no, but it was such an awkward situation for him. Mark was not the type to enjoy small talk, and sudden encounters in the hallway with a member of the student council belonged in that category. He felt somewhat bad for thinking that way but it wasn't something he could control. Fortunately for him, Taeyeong only replied a short «No problem!» and continued his way to wherever he was headed to. A strange person, Lee Taeyeong, but certainly someone very nice. Mark smiled unconsciously to himself, almost forgetting where he was. He was eventually roughly pulled back into reality as he heard the sound of the bell going off, indicating that the next period had begun.

«Oh shit!» he cursed, turning on his heels and taking off into the direction of his classroom. Seconds later he entered, heavily panting, and hurried to an empty seat under the disapproving gaze of his professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small note at the side: There's a reason Donghyuck is called Haechan here, keep that in mind


	4. Chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funfact about this chapter: I was looking up synonyms for exclaim and what came up was ejaculate. Okay then.

Mark was so close to throwing himself out of the window. So far his day had been – to verbalize it in a decent way – shit.  Apparently, his alarm clock had decided to give up on him and died sometime during the night due to empty batteries, therefore he overslept. He had managed to arrive at school somehow on time, but without any food in his stomach and dripping wet, because of course today it would start to rain out of nowhere when he most definitely hadn't randomly brought an umbrella with him. And from there on, it only went downwards. He had forgotten the teacher's announcement for the test in geography today, he noticed after twenty minutes into class that he had left half of his stuff at home including a lunch packet and his wallet, ergo no money for the day. The list was long. 

The ringing sound of the bell sounded through the building, the signal that the last class for this morning had finally ended. His head resting face down on his crossed arm on the table, Mark let out a long breath. «I want to die,» he mumbled to himself, not yet ready to move in any way. 

«Are you okay?» someone asked, and without looking up Mark could say who that would have to be. 

«Yeah,» he replied, not bothering to lift up his head. «Just casual existential despair.»

«Oh.» Mark heard the sound of a chair being moved, the rustling of jeans. «What's that?»

Mark's head shot up, looking at Haechan with a blank face. «Are you serious?»

His big eyes fixated on Mark, almost childlike curiosity in them, and he nodded. «I have no clue what that is.»

Mark had to bite down on his lips to prevent a laugh from slipping out. He lowered his head so the other wouldn't see him smile, shaking his head. «It doesn't really matter.»

«If you say so.» Haechan shrugged his shoulders, letting the topic fall, solely for the reason that he caught the smile Mark had tried to hide and coming to the conclusion that the boy indeed was fine. Mark had a cute smile, he noticed. «Will you eat lunch with me today?»

It had become a habit for Haechan to ask him that every day. The first week Mark had tried to tell him to stop, but to no avail. He tried over and over again, never getting discouraged no matter how many times Mark would try to explain to him that they would never eat lunch together. Mark had found it weird at first, he did his best to avoid Haechan before lunchtime, which turned out to be a lot more difficult than he had thought. The guy would find him, no matter how many detours he would take. Now it had become strangely normal, with Haechan asking him to spend the break together and Mark saying no. The exchange stayed short, Haechan accepted the no without any further words, bidding him goodbye and leaving Mark alone. And so they had formed a strange bond. He didn't know how it had happened, but the two of them had somehow become something, not friends, but something more than just simple classmates. Mark caught himself multiple times thinking that Haechan wasn't that bad of a guy, he was weird, that much was certain, but he didn't make Mark feel uncomfortable anymore. 

This day as well, Mark intended to say no, his mouth already opened, but then he closed it shut again. He thought for a second, coming to a decision he'd surely regret later on, but hey. Today was already a horrible day, how much worse could it actually be? 

«You know what, yes,» he said, getting up and grabbing his backpack. «Let's go.»

«Okay,» Haechan answered, already standing, his lips parting to reveal two rows of pearly white teeth, breaking out in the brightest smile Mark had ever seen. They left the empty classroom and as soon as they had stepped out the door Haechan grabbed Mark's wrist to drag him in the opposite direction of where he would usually head to. 

«That's not the direction of the cafeteria,» he remarked, slightly furrowing his eyebrows at the tight hold of the other's fingers wrapped around his wrist. 

«No,» Haechan answered, barely containing his excitement. «I don't eat there, it stinks, it's too loud and there are too many judgemental people.»

That made sense. «Fair enough,» Mark mumbled and let himself get dragged through the hallways. Haechan led him through the building, up the stairs, through corridors until he opened a door, revealing the outside world. He stepped out onto the roof of the school building, finally letting go of Mark's hand. A chilling wind made the brown haired boy shiver and he questioned whether this was a good idea. 

«Come on, it's warm back here!» Haechan called out, waving for him to come over. Hesitatingly he advanced into the open space, moving over to where Haechan had disappeared to. And really, back there, between giant boxes stapled over each other, a safe and windless space was created, a bunch of blankets lying around. 

«This is where you spend your lunch break?» Mark was... shocked? Fascinated? Definitely baffled. 

Haechan nodded as if it was completely normal to eat at the school roof. «Yeah.»

Sitting down, Mark watched how the other took out his lunch, placing three different boxes and two bottles down in front of himself. «Isn't that kind of illegal? I mean, to be out here. Does the school allow that?»

Haechan shook his head. «I have no idea. Probably not. But it's not as if anyone ever checks, so it's fine.» Noticing that Mark was only sitting there, unmoving, he stopped. «Did you not bring a lunchbox with you?»

«Uh,» Mark adverted his eyes, nervously chewing on his lips. «I forgot mine at home. I overslept this morning and was in kind of a hurry, so...»

«Oh.» Haechan looked down at his lunch. It was too much for him alone anyways. «Want some of mine?» He grabbed a random box, opening it to find two sandwiches neatly stacked inside. He took both of them, holding one out for Mark and keeping the other for him. He just hoped his mother hadn't put anything weird in it, it would be a small problem and slightly awkward if Mark suddenly transformed himself into a cat or a bunny. 

With a sceptical look, Mark took the sandwich from Haechan. «Are you sure? I can just buy something in the cafeteria–»

«And leave me alone up here to ditch me for your friends? Nope, eat with me, I'm not even that hungry.» Haechan took a bite from his sandwich, motioning for Mark to do the same. Defeated Mark took a bite of the sandwich. As soon as he did that though he felt himself freeze, a tingling feeling rolling over him. This sandwich wasn't just any sandwich, for some reason Mark couldn't understand it tasted like heaven. The bread had a sensational texture, it was smooth yet firm, with grains in it that contributed to the unique yeasty taste. A cream-like substance with a slightly briny taste was layered over the bread, and it seemed that there was some kind of cheese in it as well. The cheese was rather hard, very herbal and almost intense in contrast to the rest of the sandwich. To balance this strong taste there was a very fine slice of ham bedded in between, as well as one leaf of a green and crisp salad. It was the best sandwich Mark had ever eaten in his life, the first bite leaving a feeling of happiness in his mouth, the second bite making him addicted and by the third, he was already halfway through it. 

«Whoa,» Mark exclaimed with sparkling eyes, «this is amazing? Did you make that yourself?» He looked at Haechan in admiration, smiling like a child at Christmas. 

Haechan forgot for a second to answer. «Yes,» he suddenly heard himself blurt out confidently. He could have hit himself, why did he say that? He had no idea how to make sandwiches like that, it was always his mother who would make them. Was it because Mark looked so expectantly at him? He looked adorable at that moment, a lot younger than he actually was and emitted an aura that just screamed: Protect me from all harm! He didn't know. But he didn't regret it much more when he saw the enormous smile appearing on Mark's face, shining brighter than all stars together ever could.

«You're really amazing Haechan!» Mark grinned, finishing his sandwich with a few bites. 

«I guess I am,» the redhead mumbled, his head low and the tips of his ears the same colour as his eye-catching locks. They continued to eat in silence, with Mark being bamboozled by all the food Haechan had brought with him and Haechan making him taste everything. 

«You even have banana milk?» Mark screeched and Haechan scrunched his nose. 

«Yes. No need to be so loud about it.» He tossed the bottle to Mark without even looking at it, leaning back against the wall. «You can have it, I don't like it.»

«You don't like it?» Mark was surprised to hear that. «Then why would you bring it?»

Facing the sky and closing his eyes, Haechan just sighed. «I have no idea.»

A quiet chuckle slipped past Mark's lips. «You're weird.»

«And what about it? I know that.»

Now Mark couldn't contain his laughter anymore, the sound bubbled out of his mouth, ringing in the air like butterflies, clear like a tiny golden bell. «No, no, not the bad kind of weird! The good kind, the one ... you know, the kind that makes you different from the others if you get what I mean.»

«Yeah, I get it,» Haechan snorted with a wide grin. 

«You know,» Mark eventually said after he had calmed down again, «you're actually not that bad to hang out with.» 

«I'll take that as a compliment.» Haechan felt the most relaxed he had been in a long time, and it kind of scared him. Mark had this certain something that just drew him in, that brought out a side of him that he hadn't dared to show recently. He just forced it all out, there was nothing Haechan could do against it, so he decided to just give in to that feeling of warmth that Mark's persona emitted.

«At the beginning, I thought that you were the type that made themselves persona non grata with everyone, which is kind of true I guess? But in fact, you're just a ball of judgemental sunshine,» Mark said with a thoughtful face, slowly tapping his chin.

«I'm a person that makes what? Grenades? Pomegranates?» Haechan was thoroughly confused by Mark's statement, almost overlooking the 'ball of judgemental sunshine', but when he thought about it, shouldn't it be 'judgemental ball of sunshine'?

Mark rolled his eyes. «You're an asshole, just said in a nice way.»

«Hey!»

«I'm trying to be considerate here, cut me some slack!» Mark argued, mimicking a hurt expression. «And it's true, you are an asshole.»

«Was I ever an asshole to you?» Haechan pouted, not satisfied with the answer.

«Remember my first day at school?» Mark lifted both eyebrows at the other boy. «You were quite the asshole back then.»

Haechan blinked. «I wasn't that mean... It was a prank?»

«It's a prank, whoo, sorry boo but this isn't it,» Mark shot back sarcastically.

«...Sorry?» 

«You–» Mark bit down hard on his lips for the nth time today, this boy was just too much for him. «Don't worry, I'm not mad anymore. If you make me a sandwich every day for the next week I'll maybe even forgive you.»

«Really?» Haechan asked, suddenly sounding very sincere.

Looking up from his banana milk, Mark shot a quizzical look at the other. «Really what?»

«If I make you sandwiches for a week, will you forgive me?» 

«I... uh,» Mark was taken aback by that. The statement had meant to be a joke, and he hadn't expected for Haechan to take it seriously. «I guess, yeah? I'll forgive you if you do it.»

«But that means you have to eat lunch with me every day!» Haechan asserted, a triumphant smile on his face. 

«Yes, I guess that means that,» Mark sighed, placing the empty banana milk down. 

«Great,» Haechan beamed, wiggling forth and back in joy, feeling content with himself and the world. Today was a good day, a very good day even.


	5. Chapter five

«So let me get this right,» Jaemin said, glaring at Mark with a frown. «You're ditching us, your friends, the ones who have welcomed you with open arms in this school when no one else would-»

«Just get to the point,» Jeno interrupted the other with a sigh, but he too threw an irritated glance at the boy standing in front of them, guiltily looking up to them.

«You're ditching us for Haechan?» Jaemin looked hurt, not believing what Mark had just told them.

«He makes really good sandwiches,» Mark mumbled quietly, feeling kind of bad to disappoint his two friends. «And it's just for a week, I promise! Plus, we can still hang out after school and during the breaks, right?»

Jaemin huffed angrily. «Do I really want that though?»

«Jaemin!» Jeno shushed him up, hitting the back of the pink-haired's head. «Mark can hang out with whoever he wants, you're being mean.»

His lips forming a pout Jaemin stayed silent, rubbing the spot where Jeno had hit him. He just really disliked Haechan and couldn't understand why Mark would even want to be near this guy.

Chewing on the insides of his cheeks, Mark observed the two. He wasn't upset about the way Jaemin reacted, in a way he could understand him, Mark must look like a traitor. «I'll treat you to a coffee at Starbucks after school, okay?» he tried to win the boy's sympathy back, he really didn't want to lose Jaemin as a friend over something that small.

Still glaring angrily at Mark, Jaemin didn't answer right away, but there could be a slight flicker of hesitation seen in his eyes. «Only if you buy me a triple chocolate cookie as well,» he eventually agreed, how could he say no to Starbucks?

«Of course!» Mark was relieved to hear that Jaemin wasn't really mad at him, and he gladly agreed to buy the extra triple chocolate cookie for him. He didn't want to lose his only two friends he had made just like that. Well, there was this boy called Jisung that often sat with him at the library when he went there to study, but they had barely exchanged more than a few sentences. He seemed like a nice kid, just very shy and quiet.

«So,» Mark nervously continued, gesturing with his hands, «I, uh, should probably go, to, uh, you know...»

Jeno snorted while Jaemin simply rolled his eyes. «Go to your sandwich boy you idiot, if you ditch us for him at least don't be late!»

Mark felt how the blood shot into his cheeks and he stuttered a «thanks, bye» while turning around and running down the hallway, into the direction of the staircase that would lead him to the rooftop. At least he hoped that it was the right one because Mark and directions weren't that good of a combination.

After several wrong turns and thirty minutes later Mark finally opened the door to the rooftop. He was greeted with a cold breeze that made him squint his eyes and he quickly walked over to the sheltered corner. 

«Hi,» he greeted, dropping down onto the laid out blanket next to Haechan.

«Hi?» Haechan gave him a weird look, already munching on a triangularly shaped sandwich. «I thought the deal was for next week? I don't have a sandwich for you today.»

«I know,» Mark nonchalantly said, taking out his own lunch packet. «This is as a small thank you for yesterday.» With that, he handed the redhead a now unwrapped cupcake. Surprised Haechan took the sweet pastry without a word, inspecting it with curiosity. It seemed to be a chocolate chip cupcake with white topping, spiked with little pieces of Smarties? M&Ms? Trying one of the ominous colourful bits he discovered with a content nod and a small grin that they were Smarties. 

«That's, uh, nice?» Haechan smiled at Mark, unsure of what he was supposed to say. 

«Well, since you fed me with your self-made sandwich, I thought it would be just the right thing to give you one of my homemade cupcakes.» Mark shrugged it off, somewhat embarrassed even if he didn't exactly know why. A boy baking pastry was embarrassing, right?

«You made that?» Now it was Haechan's turn to be speechless. «Like, you made that yourself?»

«Yeah, it's kinda a hobby I guess?» Now he was definitely flustered, his cheeks tinted in a soft pink.

Haechan didn't wait to answer that, he carefully took a bite, chewing slowly to savour the taste. «You're really not that bad of a baker,» he then exclaimed, proceeding to eat the rest of the muffin. «I mean, I obviously ate better than that, but I don't feel the need to vomit yet.»

Blinking twice, Mark couldn't believe what the other just had said. «Wow,» he then scoffed, pouting angrily while turning away. «Persona non grata maker,» he whispered under his breath, just loud enough that Haechan most certainly could hear him.

Haechan just giggled in the most adorable way. «You're so cute when you're trying to be angry,» he declared, a wide smirk on his face. «Like a baby lion who tests his first big roars.»

«Bête-noire,» Mark just shot back, resulting in Haechan braking out into a fit of laughter. 

«Why are you calling me a black beast in French?»

Flabbergasted, Mark turned to look at the other. «You don't know what it means to make yourself persona non grata with someone, but you know French?»

«Yes, what about it? I took a course last year, I thought it was a cool language.» 

Still slightly confused Mark leaned back against the wall. «It's an English expression as well.»

«Knowing you it probably means something really negative,» Haechan snorted, acting as if this was the most hilarious thing happening to him since, well, his birth. «Nerd.»

«Excuse you, the English language is wonderful if you look into its depths.» Mark was now fully sulking, shooting angry glares at the other. 

A laugh escaped from Haechan's lips, only adding fuel to the fire. «No need to be this bitchy about it.»

«I just came here to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now,» Mark mumbled under his breath, turning his backside at the other boy. 

Now straight up cackling, Haechan repeatedly slapped the floor. «What does that even mean?» he asked with tears in his eyes, leaving Mark to wonder what'd be this funny at the current situation. 

«Go ask Google,» he snapped, getting up to leave. 

«Hey!» Haechan scrambled up to stop the brown-haired, grabbing his hand to hold him back. «Please, don't leave, I promise I won't be mean anymore. Or at least I try my best not to be.» 

«Don't worry,» Mark sighed deeply, unwrapping Haechan's fingers from his hand. «I just need to go to the toilet. You're not awful enough for me to just leave like this.»

«Oh.» Perplexed, Haechan took a step back, letting Mark disappear into the school building. The boy really made him do things he couldn't explain, he acted so spontaneous around him, out of impulses. If he was honest with himself, he was very confused. It was as if his heart was being ripped into two pieces, with both halves wanting the opposite of what the other said. He had never felt like that before, and frankly, it scared him a lot. Probably more than just a lot, scratch that, it was terrifying. He had no idea what to do, he felt helpless and vulnerable. Two things he was taught to never feel. But at the same time, it was exciting, it was something completely new and it enthralled him as nothing had ever before. For the first time in his entire life, he wanted to stop being in control and let the story unfold itself, not knowing what would come next. It was risky, it was probably dangerous and he was going to get hurt in the process, but even if he knew all of these factors, he didn't want to stop. A small smile painted a glow on his face and with a light shiver caused by the harsh wind he turned around to the abandoned sandwiches. 

«What are you getting yourself into, Donghyuck,» he uttered with a sigh, the smile never leaving. 

A load croak abruptly pulled him out of his thoughts. As his head shot up he grasps a big black raven, sitting on the railing, staring at him with shiny black eyes buzzing with intelligence. Frozen, they held eye contact for a few seconds, then the giant bird spread his wings, cawed loudly one last time and flew away into the grey autumn sky. The boy felt his heartbeat in his chest, eyes fixated on the point the raven had been just a few moments ago. He was only able to tear his gaze away when Mark returned, ripping apart the weird atmosphere the black animal had created. 

«You okay? You look a bit out of it,» Mark mentioned out of nowhere. 

«Huh? Yeah, I'm good,» Haechan quickly answered, dearly hoping that it hadn't been too fast of a reply. «There's just something on my mind, but nothing you need to worry about.» He flashed his brightest smile at Mark, and even though the other wasn't fully convinced, this blinding smile let him forget whatever demur he had wanted to say. 

They finished their lunch in silence, both of them thinking their own thoughts, separating afterwards with a few short words. It was as if the weather had suddenly become a lot colder and they hurried up to get back into the warmth of the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We going supernatural
> 
> I don't want to make it too obvious who Donghyuck/Haechan is, but yeah, they're the same person. I hope you're not too confused. Aaaaah I just want to write this story, but I don't want to rush the plot, do you feel me?  
> If anyone is confused, please tell me so I can fix it accordingly


	6. Chapter six

Mark found himself enjoying Haechan's company a lot more than he had thought would be possible. The following week, they met up every day to eat lunch together, Haechan fulfilling his promise of giving Mark homemade sandwiches. And over this time, Mark found out that the redhead had a rather interesting personality, with many different shades and aspects that added up to a unique mix. The cold and sassy side seemed to be merely a facade he showed off at school, but when he was with Mark, he turned into a boy full of bubbly laughter and big smiles. But he also wasn't the angel Mark first had thought for him to be, he was mischievous, he loved to play pranks on others, he was blunt and not afraid to speak his mind. He was loud and mean, but at the same time caring and soft - if he wanted to. There was this one day Mark complained that it had gotten a lot colder and that it soon would be impossible to eat outside, only to find two extra blankets the next day where he would usually sit.

One thing Mark found out about the redhead was that he had a stunningly beautiful voice. He had caught him once singing and he had been pressuring the boy ever since to sing for him again, only to be strongly rejected. You could say that they got a lot closer, and somehow they may or may not had become friends. They would still have arguments, they would tease each other, but it had become a routine both of them enjoyed. It was how they had become friends after all, through constant bickering.

Today was Friday, the last day of their deal, and with that the last time they would eat lunch together like that. He didn't know why, but Mark had mixed feelings about this. They had talked about something random that happened today in Haechan's History lesson, and now they were eating in silence. The sandwich was as good as all the others, today there were fresh cucumbers and fine slices of a piquant salami in it, garmented with different herbs and as usual, a leaf of green salad.

«Hey, you know what?» He suddenly said, turning his head to look at the other. «You should eat with me and my friends next week.»

Perplexed, Haechan just stared at Mark. «Why?» he then asked, not sounding particularly fond of that idea.

«Because I actually like being around you, and I think that some social contact would help with that horrible attitude of yours.»

Lifting an eyebrow, Haechan stared at the other judgingly. «No thanks, I'm good.»

«But why?» Mark protested, a frown on his face. «I'm sure you'd like it, and I promise the cafeteria isn't as bad as you think.»

«I just don't want to, okay?» Haechan scoffed coldly. His eyes suddenly seemed darker than before, his face stoic, just like the first time Mark had seen him. A stone cold, unmoving, marble beauty.

Mark stayed silent after that, he knew he couldn't force the other to eat with him, but he was disappointed nevertheless. To say he was shocked when Haechan suddenly dropped his head into his lap was an understatement. His body instantly froze, the redhead looking up to him with an annoyed look on his face.

«Oh come on, don't sulk only because of that,» he heard Haechan grumble, the boy reaching out with his hands to push the corners of Mark's lips upwards. «I like your face a lot more when you smile,» Haechan murmured quietly as if he was talking to himself. He didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable Mark was with that situation, or he just chose to ignore it. Instead, he scrunched his nose, retreating his hands and wiping them on Mark's denim jacket. «Ew, you have crumbs all over the corner of your mouth, don't you know how to eat properly?»

Mark was still frozen, too shook to register what was happening, staring at the boy in his lap with wide eyes. He completely missed the question and observed how the Haechan closed his eyes, shifting around a bit to find a more comfortable spot, proceeding to take a nap. Mark felt his heart beat heavily, he tried to calm down, to actually do something. He contemplated for a second to just push the boy off his legs but brushed that thought off immediately when he looked down at the peaceful face. He could see Haechan's chest moving slowly, he felt his back muscles relax and after a good five minutes, he was convinced that the boy was fully asleep.

He didn't know what to do. Hesitantly, he finished the last bites of his sandwich, watching the other sleep, following the fine lines of Haechan's beautiful face, tracing every curve and line with his eyes. All over again he noticed just how ethereal the other was. His skin was flawless, with a healthy golden glow that was complimented by the fiery red hair. A few strands were falling over his eyes and out of instinct Mark reached out to brush them away. His fingers rested on Haechan's forehead, fascinated by how soft the skin was. He had the dying urge to touch more of the other's face, just to find out if the rest of it was also just as soft. But that would have been really weird, and so he retracted his hands, but not before stroking once softly through the red locks sprawled out on his lap.

«Continue doing that.»

Taken aback it took Mark a second to realise that Haechan had said something. «What?» he asked confused.

«The thing with your fingers in my hair. Do it again.» Haechan sounded still half asleep, his eyes closed, his words a bit slurred.

Slowly, Mark brought his hand back to the other's hair, threading his fingers through Haechan's hair, playing still a bit hesitantly with it. A content sigh escaped from the redhead's lips, a soft smile stretching itself out on his face.

The moment was peaceful while it lasted, which sadly wasn't for very long. The harsh ringing of the bell pulled them roughly out of their little world, bringing them back to reality. Faster than Mark could blink Haechan had got up, packed his things and was gone without a single word, leaving the brown-haired behind to ask himself just what exactly had happened. Mark was very much confused, but he couldn't say that he hadn't enjoyed the moment. And in a way that was scaring him. He didn't understand where these strange feelings were coming from, nor what he should do about it. All that he knew was, that he liked Haechan a tad bit too much.

«Oh yay, just great,» Mark sighed, letting his head fall back against the wall. «I developed a crush on him.»

 

He thought about whether he should tell Jaemin and Jeno but knowing that both weren't that big fans of Haechan he decided against it. The two were anyways a bit too occupied with each other to notice the way Mark had been lost in his thoughts during the lessons.

«Is everything okay?»

Mark looked up, surprised that anyone would be here at this time. He had decided to go to the library after his classes to look for some books he needed for a science assignment and to study a bit. His eyes fell upon a lanky boy with strawberry blond hair, blinking at him, waiting for an answer.

«Huh? Yeah, I guess... why?» he answered awkwardly. He watched how the younger took a seat next to him, taking out a few books of his backpack.

«I don't know, you just seemed really immersed in your thoughts.» The younger seemed just as awkward as Mark, if not more. But in a really cute way.

«Oh.» Mark didn't know he had been this obvious. But to be fair, he had also thought he was alone. They stayed silent for a few moments, neither of them knowing what to say.

«I'm Jisung,» the younger suddenly said out of nowhere.

«I know,» Mark replied with a laugh. «I heard your friend call you once,» he explained quickly to not come off as a creepy stalker.

«...oh.» Jisung felt the heat rise in his cheeks, and he dropped his head in hope that Mark hadn't caught on on it.

«I'm Mark,» the brown-haired introduced himself to lift the tension that had been created, offering the other a hand.

Shyly shaking it Jisung nodded, a small smile on his face. «I know, Jaemin talks a lot about you.»

«You know Jaemin?»

Jisung nodded. «Yes, we dance together in the same studio.»

«Jaemin dances?» Mark was baffled. How could he not know that about the pink-haired boy?

«Yes, and he's really good,» Jisung replied, giving Mark a weird look.

«He.. is?» Mark slowly but surely ran out of things to say, and he hated how he killed the conversation with it. He'd love to talk with Jisung, to make friends with him, but socialising was just way too difficult.

Jisung nodded, scrunching up his nose. «Yes.»

Rest in Peace their conversation, because by now it had died down for sure. Mark just silently nodded, slowly taking his book back up to continue studying. Jisung seemed to think the same, he was uncomfortably shifting on his chair, picking up a random book to open it, pretending to read what was standing in there. He threw a glance at the older boy from time to time, but he hadn't the guts to say anything – and besides that, he also had no idea what he could have said.

Just then, a thought flashed through Mark's head, making him close his book with a loud thud. «You said you dance too? What kind of dance?» He was genuinely interested and really proud of himself for finding a topic to talk about other than the weather.

Slightly taken aback, Jisung looks up. «I do different stuff,» he mumbled quietly.

«Like what exactly?» By now, Mark had fully turned around to the younger, looking at him with a smile.

Jisung's face visibly lit up and he started to talk about the different styles of dance he liked, what he was doing right now, what he wanted to try in the future. Mark was patiently listening, fascinated by the passion the younger was emitting as he was talking about the subject. Mark himself liked to dance, but he had never met someone with a love for dance as strong as Jisung. It was kind of adorable.

They stayed at the library for way too long, forgetting the time. Eventually, they parted, with both of them a new number in their phone and a promise to text each other. Mark had asked Jisung to show him the studio he was currently dancing at since he had kind of wanted to pick the hobby up again, and this was the perfect opportunity. He had the feeling that he had clicked with the younger, and he was really glad that he had brought up dancing. Jisung had got very talkative once he had actually started to open up. He had found a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jisung is the cutest, I love him.


	7. Chapter seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who reads this, I smile every time someone leaves kudos or a comment. Happy first of advent if you celebrate it, may you have a great week ahead of you. <3

Haechan hadn't been coming to school for the whole week. It irritated Mark how this kept bothering him, the boy with the fiery red hair just wouldn't leave his mind and it was getting annoying. He had to do something about this, and that fast. Or else... Mark didn't want to think about it. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, glancing at the clock. Only 5 minutes left until school was finally over and the long-awaited weekend would be here. Mark could practically feel how slow the time was going, their teacher talking about something no one was really interested in. After painfully counting every second of these long five torturous minutes, the bell finally rang, bringing relief to all the suffering students and he got up, rushing out of the classroom with everyone else.

«Freedom!» a loud voice screamed and Mark had to laugh. Jeno was literally jumping in the hall, flying towards Mark as soon as he saw him.

«Hi Jeno,» Mark grinned, giving his friend a high-five.

«Me and Jaemin are going to celebrate the weekend with ice cream, do you want to come too?» Jeno placed an arm over Mark's shoulder, pulling him along through the cramped hallway. Chattering students flooded the space, pushing each other to get to the entrance or back into the building, having forgotten something or looking for a friend.

«Sure,» Mark grinned, giving Jeno the thumbs up.

As they managed to get out of the building they see Jaemin already waiting for them, a big smile on his face. «Hi you two!» he greeted Mark with a wave and Jeno with a peck on the cheek. The action earned him a questioning stare.

«Are you two official, or...» Mark questioned, unsure whether he was allowed to ask that.

Turning as red as a tomato, Jeno started to stutter around, using hand and feet to emphasize his nonexistent words.

«Actually,» Jaemin laughed, pulling Jeno in for a hug, «we wanted to tell you today. But since my boyfriend is a wimp outside the bedroom I decided to make this as quick as possible.»

«Alright. Just don't make out in front of me please,» Mark shrugged, not really surprised at the answer.

Jeno just said nothing, his cheeks burning, his gaze lowered. Jaemin was still chuckling and gave the boy another peck. «See, I told you he wouldn't mind! He probably already knew, you dummy.»

Mark almost snorted out loud. «Yeah, if you want it to keep a secret don't be so obvious.»

«I think I need ice cream,» Jeno mumbled, taking Jaemin's hand and dragging him away. Mark just shook his head, nevertheless he followed the dorky couple with a big smile on his face.

 

It had gotten quite late. They had talked a lot, about sexualities, about themselves, about meaningless things. It felt as if they had taken a big step in their friendship, getting them a lot closer to each other. When they parted it was already night time, a chilly wind blowing gently, tugging at Mark's hair. He walked through the streets deep in his thoughts, kicking leaves here and there. Just as he was about to pass the old playground, he noticed a figure sitting on one of the creaky swings. Catching the shimmer of red hair he halted, looking closer at the person.

«Haechan?» he called out, jumping over the low wooden fence surrounding the area. The boy turned his head, clearly surprised to see him.

«Hi,» Mark said, taking place on the other swing, greeting Haechan with a small smile.

«Hi,» Haechan mumbled, not smiling back.

«Is everything alright?» Mark then asked, having the feeling that there was something bothering the other.

«Yeah,» the redhead sighed, a small frown forming on his face. «Just some stuff going on. It's not really important.»

«Was that the reason you didn't come to school?»

Haechan seemed surprised. «You noticed?»

«Well, there was no one annoying me,» Mark snorted. «It was awfully quiet without you.» A shy smile tugged the corners of his lips upwards, his feet kicking the dirty ground.

«How cute,» Haechan laughed quietly. «You were lonely without me.»

«Was not.»

«Oh yes, you were!» Haechan continued to tease the brown-haired, his expression brightening with every word he said until his usual radiant smile spread wide on his face.

«Finally,» Mark whispered, barely loud enough for Haechan to hear him.

«What?» The other didn't understand what Mark meant with that word.

«You're finally laughing. You're so different when you're serious, way too cold,» Mark explained, averting his gaze as embarrassment dusted his cheeks in a peachy red.

«Oh, is that so?» Haechan bit his lip, he hadn't noticed that he had been observed like that.

«Yeah. You have this resting bitch face that just screams arrogance, like an ice prince. Cold, ethereal, beautiful.» Mark only realized his words when it was already too late to take them back. He wished the grounds would open and swallow him, why had he said this? He groaned and buried his face into his palm, not daring to face Haechan.

«You think I'm beautiful?» Haechan didn't sound like he was teasing anymore, more so he sounded stunned, as if he didn't believe what Mark just had said. «I mean, of course, I am, I'm an outstanding beauty that outshines every Victoria's Secret model, but...» He hesitated for a moment, his confidence wavering. «No one has ever told me that directly, into my face.» He whispered the last part so quietly, Mark almost didn't catch it.

Glancing through his fingers, Mark saw how Haechan had his head low, his shoulders had sunken down, he looked like all energy had been drained from him. It scared him to see Haechan like this. Haechan was supposed to be sassy, confident and full of himself. Not this... vulnerable. The boy sitting on the swing didn't look like Haechan at all. Without thinking Mark got up, grabbing both shoulders of the redhead, making him look up.

«Haechan, everyone thinks that you're beautiful. They might don't say it out loud, but there are so many guys and girls at our school who are jealous of your looks. You have no idea how many girls secretly have a crush on you!» He stepped closer, pulling the boy into a tight hug. «Listen, I have no idea what's going on in your life, but I think you're beautiful no matter what.»

Haechan was speechless. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes and he couldn't bring himself to return the hug. His arms wouldn't obey him, his muscles just weakly trembling as he attempted to move. He was frozen, unable to do anything, captured in Mark's strong hold. Never had he experienced something like this, that his whole body just gave in, relaxing under the warm touch of a human being. His head dropped down on Mark's shoulder, his eyes were shut close as he tried to even his breathing.

They stayed like this for quite a while, neither of them knew how many minutes exactly passed. They simply enjoyed the moment, savouring the warmth of the other, breathing together to calm their running heartbeats. They were surrounded by a comfortable silence, no need for words was present.

«I... I should go home,» Mark eventually murmured, reluctantly getting up. His parents were probably worried by now, and it was starting to get chilly even with the warm jacket he was wearing.

«Where do you live?» he then asked Haechan, still worried about the state the other was in. «I'll walk you home.»

«Huh? Oh... it's not that far, it's okay. You don't have to,» Haechan declined, not looking Mark into the eyes.

«No, I insist. I'm not going to let you walk alone.» Mark stubbornly persevered, he wanted to do at least that much.

«Okay,» Haechan sighed, giving up. He heaved himself up, starting to walk away from Mark, not waiting for the other to follow him.

A smile danced over the brown-haired boy's mouth as he ran after the other, Haechan was an odd one. Another reason to like him– Stop, that's not what he should be thinking.

They walked with silence once again surrounding them, until Haechan stopped at the front of a crossroad, a small street heading up, a few streetlights just giving enough light to not make it seem intimidating. He turned to Mark but avoided eye-contact.

«So, uh. It's just up there, you don't have to come this far.» He sounded somewhat quiet, not how he would usually talk. «Thanks,» he whispered, his tone ever so small. «For everything.»

Mark felt awful. Something was going on, and he didn't like it at all. Haechan talked as if they would never see each other again, and frankly, it scared Mark. It wasn't like Haechan to talk like this. Or was it just not like the Haechan he himself knew? A sudden thought flashed through his mind. It was a risky thought, you might even call it crazy. Blame his tiredness, his confusion or his just how stupid he was, but before he knew what he was doing, he had leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Haechan's cheek. It was merely a peck, short as a blink of an eye.

«You're welcome.»

Haechan was frozen, unmoving staring at Mak with wide eyes. The poor boy seemed utterly shocked at the other's actions and mark wished for the second time this evening for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

«I'm... going. I should get going,» he rambled, abruptly turning away to hide his burning face, only to be held back by the strong grip of a hand, then his brain stopped working.

His whole body felt as if he was electrified, waves of energy rolling over him, sending goosebumps up and down his back. He felt breathless but also like wasn't in need of oxygen anymore, this ecstatic feeling being enough to keep him alive forever. A warmth spread through his whole body, starting from his chest, wandering like a flair of gold through every pore of his being. It was incredible, dreamlike, falling and floating at once. His nerves were overloaded, not able to comprehend the proceedings. It took him too long to fully understand that Haechan had spun him around, that Haechan was holding him close, that Haechan was kissing him with the desperation of a drowning man.


	8. Chapter eight

How did this happen? Donghyuck had no idea, but here he was, kissing Mark Lee with everything he had. It wasn't until a few seconds into the kiss that he realized just what he was doing and he jumped back, shocked about his own actions. They stared at each other, both wide-eyed and breathless, with heated cheeks and hammering hearts. Donghyuck tried to find the right words to say but found himself speechless in front of the guy he just kissed. 

Shit. That shouldn't have happened. 

«I... I'm going,» he stuttered and ran away. He took off into the dark, taking steps as fast as he could and as soon as he was sure that Mark didn't see him anymore he shifted into the faerie world. He continued to run, feeling how his surroundings dislimned, his feet now hitting marbled tiles, huge golden, blue and purple pillars rising left and right of him. The tingling sensation of the magic ruling in the faerie world hit him as the majestic walls of the king's palace manifested themselves around him. He came to an abrupt halt as he saw a figure in front of him, barely noticing his change of appearance. The frequent changes between the world of the mortals and his own got him accustomed to the feeling of not having pointed ears and sharpened sight. He knew that he looked different, the colour of his hair was here, in his home, so intense that it seemed almost on fire, his eyes were a vibrant green and his skin tone a touch more golden. 

He was still standing still, his legs trembling, panting, shock and fear written all over his face. He slowly but surely started to understand just what exactly he had done and the consequences this might have. He turned on his heels, running through the corridor, looking for a certain fae, the only one he could talk to right now. The only one he could trust with this. Because he sure messed up big time.

Throwing the door to his room open, his eyes fell upon the body lying on his couch. He frowned, briefly taking in the catastrophic condition his own room was in. 

«Renjun?» he called out, walking through a mess of clothes, shoes, colourful leaves and empty silver cups. 

«What do you want?» the fae replied, annoyance oozing off his voice, not even bothering to look up.

Donghyuck sighed. «Please stop throwing parties in my room. I know it's bigger than yours, but still. You know I hate the smell of smoke and faerie dew.» 

Renjun just answered with a grunt. «Is that all you wanted to say?»

«No.» Donghyuck let himself fall onto the couch next to Renjun, cringing at the feeling of crinkled clothing underneath him, but he was still too shaken to bring himself to make some free space first. 

«What is it then?» Renjun slowly lost his cool, after a party, he was always very irritated and short-tempered, so when he didn't receive an immediate answer he lashed out. He didn't mean to and he knew that Donghyuck was used to it, therefore it hit him real hard when he felt the moodshift in his friend's aura. He lifted his head, glancing at Donghyuck. 

«Hyuck, are you okay?» Upon seeing tears glistening in the other's eyes all his tiredness and anger vanished in an instant. Donghyuck didn't cry, he never did. So why, why was he not answering? It hit Renjun deeply and his concern only grew when Donghyuck pressed his eyes closed, choking back a sob.

«Renjun I messed up. I made a mistake, and it's so grave I... I just... help...»

«Shhh...» Renjun was quick to pull his friend closer, wrapping his arms around the fragile body, drawing circles on his back. It was scary to see Donghyuck like this, it was something that he would have never thought he would experience. He always admired Donghyuck, he was strong, confident, self-aware and proud. He was someone untouchable and seeing him this... ordinary and frail was frightening. 

«Take a second, calm down. Then tell me. Okay?» Renjun had no idea what he should do. All he could do was to hold his friend and wait until he had collected himself enough to properly talk to him. 

«Renjun... I... I kissed him,» Donghyuck mumbled into Renjun's chest.

«Who? Doyoung? You know that your brother will–»

«No!» Donghyuck interrupted him, clutching his hands into the fabric of the shirt Renjun was – thankfully – wearing. «Mark.»

«Mark?» Renjun furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember if he had heard the name before. «Is that one of the new servants?»

«No,» Haechan sniffled, slowly calming down. 

«Then who is it?» By now Renjun was just downright confused, he had no idea who Donghyuck was talking about.

«A human,» Donghyuck whispered, his thoughts wandering back to the feeling of Mark's lips pressed against his, how good it had felt, how right everything in that moment had been. An illusion, because nothing about this situation was right.

The other fae needed a second to take in what his friend just had said. «A what?» he asked, just to be sure that he hadn't misheard.

«I kissed a human being,» Donghyuck emphasised, the panic in his voice evident. «The worst is, I just destroyed his life with this, I–» The poor boy had to pause to catch his breath again. «He'll never be happy again.» 

Renjun furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding why this was such a big deal. Sure, Donghyuck shouldn't have done that since the kiss of a fae will make you addicted, leaving you to never ever be satisfied with anything else again, but it wasn't as if that was the first time this happened to a fae. Many found some sort of entertainment in the suffering of humans, watching them chase after one and losing themselves in a hopeless try to get what they never could have had a certain thrill to it. Technically it was forbidden, but the rules were very half-heartedly regarded and it was rare that someone was punished for it, mostly the court would only take action if they'd go overboard with it.

«Why don't you just wipe his memories? What do you care that he will never experience true happiness? It's just a human after all.» 

Donghyuck stayed silent, not answering, and a terrible thought shot through Renjun's head. «Don't tell me– Hyuck!» He gripped his friend's shoulders, forcing him to look up at him. «Oh, please tell me you didn't.» But just by looking at him he knew what the other had done. Haechan looked so miserable right now, his eyes glistening wet, his body trembling.

«I didn't mean to! I didn't even know how to do it, it just... kind of happened. I swear, I never wanted to do it!» he pleaded. «Please, I need you to believe me! I... I don't know what to do now! If my father finds out–»

«If your father finds out you both, you and that human, will be dead. Oh gosh Hyuckie why did you do that?» Renjun seemed extremely distressed, worry in his eyes. He couldn't care less about this human, but Donghyuck was his best friend. Even if they were fighting all the time and he didn't particularly show it, but he loved him more than his family. Of course he'd never admitted that out loud, especially not in front of Donghyuck. 

«I really didn't mean to.»

«Alright, I believe you, just please stop crying. What's done is done, we can't change that.» Renjun sighed deeply and collapsed back onto the couch. «We'll have to figure out what to do. First, we need to keep this human safe. He probably has no idea what happened to him, and if we don't keep an eye on him this could be dangerous.»

«Does that mean you'll help me?» Donghyuck wiped his eyes, sniffling a bit.

«Yes, now please go fetch a tissue or I'll go crazy.»

This brought a small smile to Donghyuck's face, but instead of following his friend's order he plopped down next to him, closing his eyes. 

«Can I sleep first?»

«Sure. Go ahead.» Renjun sighed anew, getting up to look for a blanket, Donghyuck would be grateful for it once he woke up again. The poor fae was already fast asleep and Renjun decided to leave him alone. He'd better had a look at that human Donghyuck had kissed, to see if he was at least worth all the pain in the ass. 

It was somewhat ironic, it had been calm and boring for so many long years, and now everything was happening at once. Renjun chuckled slightly, this would be interesting. And if he was honest, he missed the human world, the simplicity, the banality that the humans so loved. He would be in trouble anyways once this story rose to the surface, so why not go and have some fun? He just hoped that they would make it out of this somewhat alive, that'd be favourable. But if not he'd become a flower and wouldn't have to put up with all the bullshit living a life brought with it, which didn't sound that bad as well. 

Leaving the giant portal of the royal palace behind, Renjun found a quiet and hidden place to travel to the human world. He hadn't done that in quite a while, therefore it would take him a bit longer than usual as well as a lot of concentration. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, opening a crack between the dimensions to slip through.


	9. Chapter nine

Mark was confused, surprised and if he was honest, quite offended that Haechan had just run away like that. After the kiss, he stood in the light of the streetlamp dumbfounded, and his mind needed several minutes to fully process what just had happened.

Haechan had kissed him. He had been kissed by Haechan.

To be fair, Mark had given out the first kiss, but that was only on the cheek, so it doesn't count the same, right? Faintly brushing his cold fingertips against the warm skin of his lips his cheeks heated up at the memory. That kiss had been... outstanding. It wasn't that Mark had much experience, but that had definitely been the best kiss he'd ever had. Thinking back to it alone was enough to make his senses tingle, his heart filling up with warmth, a small smile spreading on his face. It quickly turned into a frown though as he recapitulated what had happened after that wonderful moment. What had Haechan been thinking? Was he that bad of a kisser? He really hoped that wasn't the reason why he had run away.

But now that Mark thought about it, Haechan had been acting strange the whole time. Something had been up, something that had obviously upset the boy. Mark was clueless, his heart fluttering weakly against his chest and he groaned in frustration. The worst part about it was that he hadn't Haechan's number or any other way to contact him. And he had his doubts about the redhead coming to school the next week.

It was getting cold, and Mark decided to go home, even if that seemed ridiculously meaningless and unnecessary right now. His mind was spinning around the kiss, around the feeling of Haechan's body close to him. The brown-haired boy sighed deeply and massaged his temples, turning away from the circle of light, walking down the street with slow steps.

He had a lot to think about on his way home. The first thing was, that he now knew for sure that his feelings for Haechan were far more than just a mere crush. Secondly, all the things Haechan had told him today, how he had acted at the playground, his ominous answers and the sad glint glowing in his eyes. He couldn't follow everything yet, but he was certain that he was overlooking something. 

 

Monday came, and Mark didn't see or hear anything from Haechan. This Monday, in particular, his absence was weighing him down. He wanted answers, more than anything else. On top of that Jaemin was sick and Jeno had stayed with him at home resulting in Mark being alone for the day. No one stopped him from thinking, and it happened more than once that a teacher had to angrily reprimand the boy due to him not paying attention. Right now, Mark was walking home after a day full of tiring lessons, kicking fallen leaves while his thoughts always circled around the boy with the fiery red hair that had kissed him three days ago. 

Three days. It felt irrealistic when he put it like that, and it was just a kiss. He shouldn't give it that much weight. But why, why could he, even after a whole weekend had passed, still not forget the feeling of Haechan's lips pressed against his? Why does the warmth of the other's body still hover around him? Haechan's presence was everywhere without him really being there, and it drove Mark insane. A deep sigh emitted from the depths of his chest, his feet unexpectedly coming to a halt. Lifting up his head, Mark realized where he had been walking to. He was standing in front of the playground, the place empty, no children around, making it look even sadder than it already was. Hesitantly, Mark trudged to the pair of swings, taking a seat on one of the creaky wooden boards. 

For the first time since the kiss, his thoughts were at peace, his mind resting. He didn't know why, but the atmosphere calmed him down, his body relaxed and the chaos inside his mind subdued like the sea after a storm. It was quiet, it was serene. 

«Are you Mark?»

The brown-haired boy almost fell from the swing upon hearing the unknown voice speaking next to him. Leaning at the post of the construction the swings were attached to, was a boy he had never seen before. He had dark hair and dark eyes, very soft and delicate features and an aura that immediately reminded him, which was absurd, of Haechan. Was it the way he composed himself? How his eyes wandered up and down his body, but not as if they were checking him out but as if to mock him for whatever reason? Was it how his eyebrow quirked slightly as he waited for an answer? Mark didn't know.

«Are you finished with staring?» the boy asked, his pretty lips curling into a derisive smile. 

«Oh, sorry.» Mark felt his cheeks heat up and he averted his gaze. 

«Don't worry, you're not the first one,» the boy chuckled, but it sounded bitter with a hint of disappointment. 

The boy walked around Mark, sitting down on the other swing. «But you are Mark, right?»

Taking a glance at the boy, Mark furrowed his eyebrows. «Yes. Should I know you?»

«No, I'd be more than surprised if you did,» he nonchalantly shot back. «Let's say, someone told me about you.» He made a vague gesture with his hand.

«Haechan?» The word slipped from Mark's lips before he could take it back, but it was more of a statement than a question. He knew that it had to be Haechan. It couldn't be anyone else. Although he noticed more and more differences the longer he was in the boy's presence, there was a connection between him and Haechan, crystal clear for Mark to see, even if he couldn't explain the feeling with words. He just knew. 

«Haechan? Who's that?» Real confusion displayed on the boys face and for a second Mark's confidence wavered. 

«Donghyuck.» The unfamiliar name rolled off his tongue with ease. Mark had no idea where it had come from, but his mind pictured every letter. It seemed as if he hit the jackpot though. The boy's face turned pale white, his eyes widening before his expression became hard. 

«He even told you his name?» 

Faster than Mark could comprehend the boy had stood up, hovering over him with a threatening glare. Out of instinct, he leaned back, this time falling down for real. He felt pebbles pressing into his back and the cold earth against his bottom, he could practically see the stains that would be there once he would get up again. He frowned at the thought, he really liked the jeans he was wearing and it would be a shame if he'd just destroyed them.

The boy sighed and leaned back, returning to his swing. «Are you always this clumsy? And such an airhead?» He looked down at Mark with pity, no more venom in his voice. 

«Uh,» was Mark's thoughtful response, scratching the back of his head. 

A mild smile appeared on the boy's face. «You know, I can see why he likes you. You're charming, for a human.»

Mark wasn't sure if he understood that right, but he lifted himself up, dusting off the dirt as best as he could. «Thanks, I guess,» he mumbled. 

The boy suddenly snapped his fingers, taking in a sharp breath. «Stupid me, I never introduced myself!» He jumped up and turned at Mark, executing an elegant bow. «I'm Renjun, Donghyuck's best friend, his party buddy, brother from another mother, whatever you want to call it.» He grinned, sending a cheeky wink at Mark, which he deliberately overlooked. 

«Nice to meet you,» Mark hesitantly acknowledged the greeting, not knowing how to react. If it was true what the other said he might could tell him something about Haechan, or Donghyuck, whatever his name really was. Mark was confused and just accepted the fact that there was another name for Haechan, he would think about that detail later on. But on the other hand, he didn't know Renjun at all, the boy could be lying for whatever reason. 

«So,» Renjun began, sending Mark a meaningful glance. «You know what happened to you?»

«What... happened to me?» Perplexed, Mark stared back at the black-haired boy. 

«Yeah. You know. It was last Friday, right?» 

«Oh.» Now he got what the other meant. The kiss. «You know about it?»

Renjun snorted. «Well, Donghyuck came crying to me, I'd better be informed about what makes him upset.»

This hit Mark hard. He hadn't expected that Haechan– no, Donghyuck, would cry. Did he cry because of him? Guiltily Mark lowers his head. «I didn't know he cried,» he mumbled, not meeting Renjun's eyes. «I didn't mean to make him cry.»

«It wasn't really your fault, don't worry.» Renjun shrugged his shoulders, something about this human just irked him. There was something in him, something that made him want to protect him. He could very well understand why Donghyuck lost his control in front of this boy. 

«How wasn't this my fault?» Mark's shoulders dropped and he kicked a tuft of grass in frustration. «I was the one who kissed him first.»

«Wait, really?» Surprised, Renjun lifted his head.

«It was just on the cheek tho...»

A loud laugh escaped Renjun's mouth. «That's not a kiss!»¨

«Shut up, it is!» Mark hid his burning cheeks with the paws of his jacket, but his flaming ears were still visible. 

Renjun just shook his head, still laughing. It made him a lot less scary, and Mark found himself really liking the sound of it. «Come on,» Renjun said, standing up as he reached out for Mark. «Let's go.»

Puzzled, Mark let himself being pulled up and away from the playground. «Uh, wait a second,» he tried to stop the boy, «Where are you taking me?»

The black-haired halted in his tracks, a mysterious smile on his lips. «I'm taking you to Donghyuck. You want to see him, right?» He wanted to proceed only to be held back by Mark once again.

«I can't just disappear, my parents will be worried if I won't come home,» Mark tried to find an excuse, but even he himself could hear how unconvincing it sounded. Who was he kidding, of course he wanted to go and see Hae- Donghyuck. 

Renjun seemed to have the same thought. «Just tell them you're sleeping over or something that they won't call the police. We both know you don't want to go home,» he sighed, letting go of Mark's wrist.

Mark didn't even try to object, he silently typed away a message to his mother on his phone, stuffing it back into his pocket afterwards. «Okay, let's go,» he said with a thin voice, gritting his teeth. He was crazy to do that, to just follow a stranger to a place he didn't know. It was such a typical scene from a horror movie or a crime scene, would the situation be different he'd laugh. But he walked after Renjun because he needed to see Donghyuck. He needed to know why he was missing him, why there were two names in his head even if the boy in question had never mentioned anything about the alias "Donghyuck". He had too many questions and he knew that only Donghyuck could satisfy his need for answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Renjun's here to mess things up ^-^
> 
> I'm sorry that you had to wait for this chapter, I'm not feeling so well and it's a bit a rough time for me. I'm also not sure if I will be able to write over the holidays, so bear with me. I hope you're enjoying the Christmas season, have a nice week and Happy Holidays!


	10. Chapter ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I'm back
> 
> updates should be going up regularly again from now on ^^ ((every Sunday))  
> I hope you all have a great day
> 
> New character ahead! Also, we finally will get some things explained

The first thing Mark noticed was the horrible pain throbbing in his head, like needles boring holes into his brain, digging between the nerves. The second thing he noticed was the unfamiliar surroundings he definitely shouldn't be in. He tried to move, only to moan in pain as his muscles protested against the unwanted action. He could hear voices, muffled, behind the irritating ringing in his ears that made him almost deaf.

Slowly the memories came back, flowing into his mind one after another like cut scenes from a movie. The playground. The boy, Renjun. He told him he would take him to Mark and then... black. This was the last thing Mark remembered, and now his head hurt like hell. His limbs were heavy and he had a metallic taste in his mouth. Despite the soft material he was laid on he felt extremely uncomfortable and out of place. His stomach churned and he hissed in pain once again, making the voices stop arguing. He tried to open his eyes, but the lids wouldn't separate and he couldn't bring up the strength to force them open properly.

Something warm touched the side of his face, making him jump and he jerked his head away from whatever it was. The ringing sound became more intense and he could only vaguely register that someone directed spoken words at him. His head began to spin and all of a sudden, he felt the need to vomit. It abruptly came to an end as he felt something soft pressed against his lips and a warm feeling immediately spread through his chest, an electric tingle, wandering over his body until it filled him completely. He felt safe, protected, in a cloud of comfort.

A kiss?

The pain disappeared, his head was clear and he felt as if he could breathe again. The kiss seemed to have brought him back to reality, it was as if he had been drowning and someone pulled him out of the water. The pressure on his chest he hadn't even noticed had been there was lifted off, leaving him lightheaded and a bit drowsy. His eyelids fluttered open, greeted by a face of someone he knew. A face he had missed, a face he had wanted to see again the last few days.

«Haechan?» Mark murmured, his voice raspy like when he woke up from a long night out. The person hovering over him was undoubtedly Haechan, but at the same time, it wasn't. He seemed surreal, too beautiful, too intense, too much of everything.

The boy that was or wasn't Haechan cracked a smile, his eyes glistening. «Hi.»

Mark reached out, he had to touch him to be sure that he wasn't dreaming. The Haechan in front of him was more of a dream than reality, but everything else he felt was so real, he had to make sure. «How?» he asked, because how could someone like this boy over him exist?

«What?» Haechan seemed confused, not understanding what Mark was asking.

«How are you even real?» Mark didn't know where his boldness came from, but his fingers traced every line of Haechan's face, his cheekbones, his jawline, the bridge of his nose, his lips, oh, those beautiful, kissable lips. «Am I dead? Is this heaven?»

Haechan just laughed. His head dropped and the laughter bubbled out of him, the sound ringing sweetly in Mark's ears. He collapsed onto Mark, his body shaking at the force of him laughing. Mark didn't quite understand why his statement was so funny, but he absentmindedly threaded his fingers through the burning red locks of Haechan's hair.

«No, Mark, you're not dead,» the boy with the fire-hair eventually replied, amusement evident in his tone. «How are you feeling?» he then asked, his facial expression hardening as he got serious again, his beautiful, big and intense eyes staring down at Mark.

They were green, Mark noticed, which was weird because the Haechan he knew definitely did not have green eyes. The iris seemed to pulsate in a shade he couldn't compare to anything. The longer he stared at these ethereal eyes the more little details he could detect. There were streaks of dark forest green in between the brighter tone and a ring of gold sparkled around the pupil.

Ignoring the question Haechan had just asked he slowly lifted himself up, the feeling of the headache he had had just moments ago a mere memory in the back of his head. «Where am I?»

His head turned around, his eyes taking in the room he was situated. His gaze fell upon the third person in the room, the boy from the playground. Renjun. He stood behind Haechan with arms crossed over his chest, coldly staring away. He seemed different than what Mark remembered, but that could also be the strange environment. Mark lied on something that resembled a couch, covered with a soft cloth in a red-purple-ish colour. The walls of the room were painted in a warm colour, something in between a soft peach and a really bright yellow, light seemingly radiating off them. He briefly noticed how messy the room was, various items he couldn't quite recognise lying everywhere on the floor, ominous spots on the wall. It reminded him of the leftovers of a high school party.

«Mark?»

The call had him turn his head back. He hadn't even realized Haechan had been talking to him. Feeling embarrassment paint his cheeks red he ruffled his hand through his hair, sending an apologetic glance at the other. «Sorry, I wasn't listening.»

Haechan snorted. «I realized that when you didn't answer me the third time I asked you the same question.»

«What were you asking?» Mark was still looking at Haechan, but he could practically feel Renjun rolling his eyes.

«If you were okay,» the redhead sighed. «Because you don't look so great, you know?»

«I feel quite okay though?» he replied, furrowing his eyebrows. «I have a slight headache and my mind is still very buzzy, but other than that, I feel... fine,» he assured truthfully. For whatever reason he didn't want Haechan to think he wasn't alright, he didn't want him to worry.

The redhead didn't seem convinced. «No offence, but you look like shit. Like, as if you would faint any moment.» He furrowed his eyebrows. «You aren't going to faint, right? Please alert me before you plan to do so, I don't want to panic.»

The last remark earned him a loud snort from Renjun, reminding them that they weren't alone in the room. «You almost hyperventilated when you saw him passed out.»

Haechan shot him a glare. «Shut up.»

Renjun looked like he wanted to say something back, but before he could voice out his thoughts the door slammed open and a very fuming man – literally, smoke was rising from his hair – stormed into the room.

«Renjun, this will be the last time you smuggled that party drug inside the palace! Do you even know what I've been through to save your stupid ass from-» He cut himself off when his eyes fell upon Mark, gaping as he froze in the entrance.

«Is that a human in your room?»

Renjun had covered before the new person, who was stunningly handsome Mark noticed, but that could also be his still quite hazy mind. While the newcomer’s eyes were piercing and dark and his eyebrows as sharp as razors, his hair was a soft honey colour, falling into his eyes, evening out the rest of his strong appearance. If you overlooked the smoke evaporating from his head, that was.

«Kun, I can explain!» Haechan lifted his hands in defence, a guilty look on his face. The young man, Kun, crossed his arms and pressed his lips to a tight line.

«I'm listening.» His voice was grave, his eyes stormy clouds that held a hurricane, and Mark could very well understand why the two would be scared of him. He was intimidating.

«First of all,» Haechan started, lifting himself up from the couch where he had still been hovering over Mark, allowing Mark to finally sit up properly. «It was his fault.» He pointed at Renjun who let out a strangled sound and gave Haechan a look that had the potential to kill the poor boy right here and then.

Kun just sighed, his gaze softening a bit. « Donghyuck, I know the both of you, and I know that when something like this happens, both of you are involved. So would you please just tell me what is going on, because this,» he gestured at Mark, «is a huge fucking problem.»

«Language,» Renjun mumbled, barely audible.

Mark had to suppress the smile, it didn't seem appropriate at the moment. But he also was quite confused. Kun had called Haechan another name, strangely familiar. Donghyuck. He still didn't know how he knew that name, how came it rolled off his tongue so smoothly and easily?

«Uh, I kinda, you know... I...» Haechan, or Donghyuck, stuttered around, very quiet all of a sudden. His head hung low and he shifted nervously on his feet, sending anxious glances at Mark from the side. «Renjun brought him here,» he finally concluded, biting his lips afterwards, as if he had said something he shouldn’t have.

The handsome man sighed. «Just tell me why he is here, and how you thought you could fix this again.»

That hurt, Kun spoke about him as if he wasn’t there and on top of that, he just indicated a second time that he was nothing but a major inconvenience. Mark wasn’t very keen of either, it left a sour taste in his mouth. But before he could say anything Renjun sent a warning look his way, stepping forward.

«Donghyuck formed a pact with him,» he explained, his voice strained and dry. «A soul-based pact.»

Seconds of silence passed before anyone reacted. Kun seemed absolutely flabbergasted, with a mix of unbelieving anger boiling under the surface, though Mark was quite sure that now the source of his fury lied elsewhere than back when he had stormed into the room.

He himself was very confused, for he did, indeed, not remember forming a pact. His head had started to hurt again, an unwell feeling invading his stomach.

«Uh, sorry, but shouldn’t I know about that?» he quietly asked, shyly raising a hand like a pre-schooler.

For the first time since he had entered the room, Kun directed his gaze directly towards Mark, staring at him with an expression as if it hadn’t occurred to him that he could talk. He heard Haechan curse under his breath and he felt Renjun’s irritated gaze on him.

«Donghyuck...?» Kun started in a low voice, the tension in the atmosphere rising rapidly.

«You complete moron left him in the dark about it?» Renjun gasped, ready to give up on his best friend and leave him under Kun’s mercy alone.

«I panicked, okay?» Haechan whined with a trembling voice, he was clearly frustrated.

Instinctively Mark reached out for the shaken boy, drawing him close and gently pulling him in for a hug. «Hey,» he murmured, ignoring the questioning looks he received. «Breathe, okay?» He felt the tense muscles relax under his hold, whatever he did – he wasn’t so sure himself – seemed to work.

«Now care to explain? And start from the beginning, because I’m a bit lost.» The littlest of a laugh echoed in the air, the sound pulling at Haechan’s heartstrings. The red-haired boy reluctantly pried Mark’s arms off his frame, taking a seat next to him, carefully maintaining enough distance that the two wouldn’t be touching anywhere. He took a deep breath and readied himself, it was time to finally throw light upon everything.


	11. Chapter eleven

«Please don’t freak out.»

Mark knew that he would freak out. His head hurt again and his thoughts spun like crazy, his whole body itching. Since he had woken up in this strange room his body had acted weird, reacting in ways it had never before. He knew that something wasn’t right, but right now it was very hard to think. Everything was a blur, and he had the urge to just accept everything and not think about the whys and hows. He felt numb.

Half of what Haechan – or Donghyuck, which apparently was his real name, Haechan being a name he just used when he roamed the human realm – explained to him didn’t get through, and the words just wouldn’t make any sense. His brain had decided to stop working the second Donghyuck started talking.

«Mark?» The question interrupted the rollercoaster of thoughts inside of Mark’s head. «Are you alright?»

Mark felt his body tremble, and he shook his head, confusion written all over his face. «No, I’m not. This is… everything is just too unreal.» He drew a hand through his hair, the feeling of panic rising in his chest. As he tried to calm down, he recalled what he had just been told.

«So, you are a fairy? Like, in the fairytales, and I’m in a different dimension, where all the fairies live, in a palace. And I shouldn’t be here, but I am. I’m sorry if this offends you, but this is hardly believable and… I don’t know, it’s just so surreal.» Mark wasn’t sure if what he said made any sense, he felt dizzy and tense, the walls seemed to close in on him and he could hardly breathe.

«Hey, calm down,» Donghyuck said, his eyebrows knitted as he laid a hand on Mark’s shoulder. «I know this must be a lot to take in, but we don’t really have much time.» He sighed and his expression softened. «Yes, I’m a fae. A magical being, you could say, magic is what keeps us alive, it flows through our body like blood. In a way, it is similar to a human soul, but at the same time, its nature is completely different. And when we… you know, when we kissed, I accidentally transferred a good amount of that magic to you, and you gave me part of your soul.» His face had blushed slightly and he slowly retracted his hand from where it was.

«I… gave you part of my soul?»

Donghyuck nodded. «Yeah. That’s why it is called a “soul-pact”. We are now bonded, tied to each other. Literally soulmates, if you prefer that term.»

A shaky laugh escaped Mark’s mouth. «This is crazy!»

«It is,» Renjun snorted, earning a glare.

Kun had stayed silent the whole time, eyebrows furrowed. There was no longer smoke rising from his hair, but he wasn’t less intimidating because of that. When he spoke up, everyone’s head turned to him.

«You have to leave. If anyone finds out, all three of you are dead. Yes,» his eyes fall on Renjun, «you too. And me probably as well. The two of you know how something like this is treated in the king’s court, and by now we are all involved.»

«But why?» Mark asked, he was still so confused and lost. «I get that this is not exactly something good to happen, but how is it that bad?»

Kun’s gaze fixated on him, sending a shiver down his spine. «Soul-pacts are forbidden. They are a lot more dangerous than you maybe imagine, as it is a lot deeper than you would think. They are more powerful than anything.» His voice was as cold as ice, piercing, sharp. «And never before in our history, there was a soul-pact between a fae and a human. No one could possibly know how this affects the both of you.»

«So, what are we gonna do about it?» Renjun seemed surprisingly unfazed, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

Kun sent him an unamused look. «You have to disappear. I can’t think of anything better right now, and you can’t stay here, that’s too dangerous.»

«So we’re just running away?» Donghyuck frowned, he didn’t like the idea.

«To the human realm?» A smirk was on Renjun’s face, he seemed way too agitated, and it irritated not only Mark.

«Renjun, you do know that we could die?» Donghyuck asked, eyebrows lifted.

The other just shrugged his shoulders. «It was getting dull here anyways. I’m glad something is happening, or else I might just die from boredom.»

Kun just sighed. «The sooner you go the better. And please, at least try to be discreet.» The last part was obviously directed at Renjun, who batted his eyes in innocence.

Everything went so fast, Mark could barely catch up. He had calmed down a bit and he could think rationally again. Or, at least as rationally as it was possible under the current circumstances. And so, without much on his doing, they ended up at the porch of Mark’s house, back in the human realm. They stood there, awkwardly, waiting. Eventually, Renjun waved and walked away with a short «Goodbye, see you tomorrow.», leaving Donghyuck and Mark alone behind.

The redhead pulled a face and scoffed. «He’s such an idiot.»

Mark stayed quiet. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what.

«…How are you?» It was the stupidest thing he could have said, and he wished he had just kept his mouth shut.

Donghyuck's eyes shot up in surprise. «What do you mean?»

Mark swallowed thickly. «I mean, are you okay? I have the feeling you’re not the same as before… » He halted, thinking about the words he had chosen, shaking his head. «No, that’s not what I wanted to say. I… You… there’s more, right?»

«Yeah, you could say that,» Donghyuck quietly admitted. «Whatever happened last Friday… it really messes with my emotions. I’m not supposed to have a soul, and now I suddenly have one. I feel vulnerable, weak.» There was a slight tremble in his voice, but upon seeing the guilty look on Mark’s face, a soft smile tugged on his lips. «It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you, not at all.»

«Do you regret it?»

«What?» Donghyuck blinked, taken aback.

«Kissing me.»

«No.»

«Oh.» Mark lowered his head, hiding his hot cheeks. A goofy grin had made its way on his face, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. «Would you consider doing it again?»

The words were out before e could take them back, hovering in the air. He held his breath, frozen at what he himself had said.

A laugh, amused, emitted from Donghyuck’s chest. «Are you asking me to kiss you?»

By now, Mark was flushed red, his face burning. «I, no, I mean, if, no, what-»

Whatever he wanted to say, the words died in his throat as Donghyuck took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Their noses brushed together as he lifted a hand, caressing Mark’s cheek, his now once again rich brown eyes meeting Mark’s wide and surprised ones. The redhead smiled, his fingers tracing Mark’s cheekbone, his other hand coming up to cup Mark’s face gently, carefully, as if he was something precious.

«Sometimes you just talk too much,» Donghyuck murmured, his eyes fluttering closed as he leaned in, pressing his lips gently against Mark’s, kissing him slowly, softly.

Mark melted under the touch, his heart stuttering. It was scary how easily he gave in, how fast he let himself loose in the kiss, how he let himself be kissed. It was terrifying how Donghyuck could make him feel light-headed with just the touch of his fingers, how he could make him forget everything with a simple kiss, how he was just so damn in love with this boy. And he adored everything about it.

The kiss ended too soon, but Donghyuck pulled away, his hands falling back to his sides, a sheepish smile spreading over his face.

Mark was speechless, the kiss having him shut up for good. He didn’t trust his voice nor his brain to compose a profound sentence, so he better left it like that.

«You are really something Mark Lee, do you know that?» Donghyuck laughed, he laughed like Haechan would, carefree, mocking, happy. Mark wanted him to laugh like that every day, and he wanted to be the reason why Donghyuck would laugh like that. His heart swelled at the thought of that, and he smiled wide.

«Thank you,» he just said, because there was nothing else to say.

Donghyuck just laughed more, throwing his arms around Mark and engulfing him in a tight hug that Mark was more than eager to return.

«I really like you, you know that?» he heard Donghyuck whisper, his arms squeezing Mark’s frame. «Please don’t run away.»

Mark couldn’t help but feel as if these words held a deeper meaning, a meaning he didn’t quite understand yet. «Never would I do that. I promise.»

Neither of them knew how long they stayed there like that, engulfed in a hug, not wanting to let go. They separated in the end because of the cold wind that made them shiver, their body heat not enough to withstand. Donghyuck gave Mark one last peck on the lips before he turned away, running down the street until Mark couldn’t see him anymore. Even if the boy was long out of his view, Mark stayed in front of the door, freezing, his gaze lost in the distance. It was dark and cold, night had fallen long ago, but Mark stayed outside until his toes were freezing and his lips blue from the cold. He sighed and opened the door, entering his home. It was dark and quiet inside and when Mark switched on the light in the kitchen he knew why. A white paper was on the table, the neat handwriting of his mother catching his eye. He sighed, he knew exactly what that meant. He picked the paper up, reading over the lines that confirmed his suspicions.

Dear Mark,

Something urgent came up and I had to go meet the big bosses. I’ll be away for three or four days, I made some soup and pasta for you to warm up and left some money. Just please don’t buy something at McDonald's, it’s not good for your health. Love you lots, send me a message some time big boy!

Mom

Mark quietly laughed, this letter was just so typical for his mother. He loved her a lot, but sometimes he had the feeling that she was reluctant in letting him grow up. Because of his job his father was rarely at home, which sometimes was quite hard for both Mark and his mother, but he learned to be independent at a young age.

He threw the paper into the trash bin while making a mental note to message his mother the next day, right now it was too late and Mark was too tired. He headed to his room, changed into his pyjama clothes – which really just consisted of an oversized shirt and a pair of boxers – and dropped down onto his bed. He felt exhausted even though he had been passed out for several hours in the faerie world. His mind buzzed with all the information he had obtained that day and it made him restless. His body wanted nothing more than sleep, but his mind kept him awake, tossing from one side to the other. When he finally fell asleep the glowing numbers of his alarm clock on the nightstand next to the bed showed 2:30 in the morning.


End file.
